---
The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, the rhythmic beat like a warning. My mind raced as I sat at the desk, the book in front of me now a familiar enemy. I had read its contents a dozen times already, yet the words felt like they were slipping through my fingers, unable to anchor me.
I was losing myself.
Every lesson, every step I took into this world felt like I was walking further from who I used to be. The person I thought I was, the life I thought I could live, seemed like a distant memory — a dream fading into nothing.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was survival.
And in this world, survival meant mastering the game.
---
Riven appeared in the doorway, his presence filling the room as he leaned against the frame, arms crossed. His eyes swept over me, his gaze sharp, calculating.
"Still reading?" he asked, his tone laced with amusement.
I didn't look up.
I couldn't.
There was no room for distractions.
There was no room for anything but the task at hand.
"Focus," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper.
Riven's lips curled into a small smile.
"Good," he said, his voice low and approving. "The sooner you accept this world, the sooner you can control it."
---
I snapped the book shut and turned my chair to face him.
"What's the next lesson?" I asked, my voice steady, betraying none of the turmoil churning inside me.
He took a step forward, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Lesson eleven," he began, his voice smooth, cold.
"People are more easily controlled by their emotions than by their logic."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What does that mean?" I asked, genuinely curious. I thought I had understood the basics, but Riven always had a way of making everything sound so much more complex.
Riven smiled, a small, sinister curve of his lips.
"It means that when you learn to manipulate someone's emotions, you hold their fate in your hands. Fear, love, anger, desire — they all make people weak. They cloud their judgment. And when people are clouded, they make mistakes."
---
The door to the room opened again, and the man with the book stepped inside. He wasn't holding it this time, but the look in his eyes was just as intense.
"Riven," he said, his voice gravelly, "there's someone you need to meet."
---
I stiffened, my heart racing.
"Who?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"Someone who could help you take the next step," the man replied, his gaze flickering toward Riven for a brief moment before returning to me.
Riven didn't move.
He only nodded once, curtly.
---
The man gestured for me to follow. I stood, not daring to question him, and followed them through the dark, cold hallways of the compound. The walls seemed to close in around me, the flickering lights casting strange, ominous shadows.
Who was this person I needed to meet?
---
We stopped outside a door at the far end of the hall, its surface cold and uninviting.
Riven turned to me, his expression unreadable.
"This is a test," he said softly. "Stay calm. Keep your composure. Trust no one."
---
I nodded, my breath shallow.
I could feel the weight of his words settling on my chest, heavy and suffocating.
Riven opened the door without knocking and stepped inside, followed by the man with the book. I hesitated for only a moment before following.
---
The room was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of leather and something else — something darker, more dangerous.
A figure sat in the corner of the room, cloaked in shadows. Their face was hidden beneath a mask, their presence imposing, their stillness unnerving.
---
"You've brought him," a voice said, low and smooth, almost musical.
I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
It didn't matter.
---
Riven stepped forward, his posture respectful, almost deferential.
"This is the one I've spoken of," he said, his voice low, controlled. "The one I've been training."
The masked figure didn't respond immediately. They only tilted their head slightly, as though assessing me, as though weighing my worth.
---
I stood still, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. I had no idea who this person was, but their aura was suffocating. Every second spent in their presence made my skin crawl.
---
Finally, the figure spoke again, their voice sharp, like glass breaking.
"Do you understand the game?" they asked, their gaze piercing through the darkness, directly at me.
I nodded slowly.
"Yes," I said, my voice steady despite the churn of fear in my stomach.
---
The masked figure chuckled, the sound cold and mocking.
"Good. Then you know that it's not just about control," they said, their voice dripping with amusement.
"It's about power. True power."
---
I swallowed hard.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice betraying a hint of uncertainty.
---
The figure finally rose from their seat, their movements slow and deliberate. As they stepped into the light, I saw their features for the first time — sharp, angular, perfect in a way that felt unnerving.
They were beautiful.
But there was something wrong about that beauty.
---
"I mean that power doesn't just come from controlling others," the figure said, their eyes narrowing as they moved closer.
"It comes from controlling yourself."
---
My heart skipped a beat.
"Controlling myself?" I repeated.
The figure nodded, their lips curling into a smile that didn't reach their eyes.
"Yes. When you learn to control your own desires, your own weaknesses, you become unstoppable."
---
I wanted to say something, to ask more questions, but the words wouldn't come. There was something in the air now — a tension, a pressure — that made everything else seem irrelevant.
---
The figure took a step closer, and I instinctively took a step back.
---
"Lesson twelve," they said softly.
"Mastering yourself is the first step to mastering others."
---
The words settled in my mind like poison, slow and insidious.
---
Riven stepped forward, his voice cutting through the silence.
"We're done here for today. You'll have time to process this. Tomorrow, we begin the next phase."
---
Without another word, he turned and left the room, followed by the man with the book. The masked figure stood there for a moment longer, their gaze lingering on me like a predator waiting for its prey to make the wrong move.
---
When the door closed behind them, I was left in the darkness, alone with my thoughts.
Power. Control. Manipulation.
What had I gotten myself into?
---
[End of Chapter 7]
---